Jeongok Museum

For an archaeological site in Gyeonggi-do, Korea where the first Acheulian-like handaxes in East Asia were discovered, UrbanLab conceptualized and designed a history museum that could become a global destination. UrbanLab’s multi-layered vision celebrates and showcases the discovery of Gyeonggi-do’s handaxes, which prove that Asian culture developed contemporaneously with European culture. The museum’s design exposes and emerges from underground geological basalt deposits. This design approach creates a facility for display, research, and conservation in which sustainability plays a central role while greatly enhancing the visitor experience. In addition, the basalt acts as the structural basis of the cantilevered building. The basalt functions as a counterweight and a fulcrum for the extended long-span structure. The cantilever is made possible by the use of two stress-skin concrete “waffle-type” slabs braced by integral concrete walls and columns. The integral walls/columns provide mutual lateral support, enabling a cantilever without external bracing. The multi-layered sandwiched system is a cellular network structure that maintains equilibrium in the whole via a complex interdependence of the parts. The design technique fuses structure, surface, pattern, and ornamentation.